Release South East Development Commission funds to avoid agitation in South East—-Igbo youths to Federal Government

The South East Youth Forum (SEYF) has urged the Federal Government to immediately release funds for the South East Development Commission (SEDC), warning that delays are worsening frustrations in the region.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, had earlier revealed that despite presidential assent, board appointments and an approved budget, the SEDC has yet to receive its operational funds.

Speaking in a statement on Thursday, SEYF convener, Obiora Osunkwo, described the withholding of funds as a betrayal of promises made when the SEDC was established.

“The inability of the SEDC to access its approved funds has rendered the commission handicapped and incapable of delivering the reconstruction, reintegration and reconciliation that the people of the South East were promised,”

He noted that the region has waited decades for the implementation of the “three Rs,” adding that the creation of the commission was seen as the tool to deliver those guarantees.

“We remind Mr President that the agitation in the South East remains intense and that promises unfulfilled deepen frustrations and widen the trust deficit between the region and the centre,”

The youth forum warned that withholding funds undermines peacebuilding, stressing that development across agriculture, infrastructure, energy, trade and technology was essential for reducing insecurity.